is it christian...?

Question

i've been noticing that, in a lot of answers to religious quetions round these parts, christians have been telling people who don't have the same beliefs that they are going to burn in hell. isn't that quite unchristian, considering the central basis (in my experience) of christianity is the teaching of tolerance and love? correct me if i'm wrong, i'm sure you will....

by the way, i believe in god, and went to catholic school as a child. if other people don't believe that's fine with me! why can't others feel the same? people's lives are their own surely!

Answer 1

Alot of Christians replying to answers may not be 'living the walk and talking the talk' as they should be. Jesus hated hypocrites. Many so called 'christians' claim a bond to their religion but make horrible examples in their arrogance. There are true bible Christians out there, but there are few. Again there are plenty of false believers out there, so please don't judge the whole christian existence as corrupt.

Answer 2

I don't believe in using the "hell and damnation" side of any religion as a way to promote belief or faith. Most people feel they have enough hardships in their lives already. The bible does warn that by not following or believing in God's teaching they will eventually end up in an "eternal non-rest", but the greatest teaching in the bible focuses on the "eternal rest" with our Lord and Savior if we believe and put our faith and trust in God. Some people feel they are "warning" of the bad effects of non belief, just as they would warn of the bad effects of smoking or drugs. I never find that approach to bring about any type of understanding but usually get the reaction of someone going on the defensive. Each person is unique and different, and believing that all will come to Christ at some point, I don't feel it is my place to be judgemental, but at the same time trying to live my life so that my faith will show through and be an example of what loving Jesus can do for someone's life, personality and existence.

Answer 3

This is a problem that has been plaguing me since I was 8 years old and the daughter of a fundamentalist minister told me that if I did not go to her church, I would burn in hell. It is the singular reason that I have studied religion since that time and I am not a young man.

The proper word to use for people like that is "procrustean." That word comes from a Greek myth dealing with Theseus. Theseus is headed for Athens and, like Heracles (or Hercules in Roman mythology) his "mission" was to rid Greece of bad people. One he encounters is "Procrustes." Procrustes was not a good man. He caught everyone who ventured by his abode and tied him in an iron bed. If they fit inside that bed, they were OK. If they did not fit, he would stretch them to fit or lop off what was too long. Procrusteanism is nothing more than forcing your views on others.

Damning you to hell if you don't believe as I do is not Christian in my opinion. It is done out of ignorance and a lack of an ability to accect one as they are. Psychologically, I think you can say that they are insecure in their beliefs and if they can get you to follow them, they become a bit mores secure in their views.

The message of Christ was nothing but Love and acceptance of others.

Hell is not really a concept that is mentioned in the Bible. The word is not Hebrew. Gehenna, which is used as a place for burning, was nothing more than a burning garbage dump where people even threw unwanted infants to burn. Hell stems from Norse mythology where there is a place in their "world" called Nifhelheim which is a pace of smoke and ice. Since you are Catholic, your view of what hell is would be similar to that of Dante. If hell is on fire all the time, why is Satan frozen in ice up to his neck and is devouring the most sinful through three mouths that he has.

The question of how Norse mythology could be in Southern European concepts is answered by the fact that the Norsemen were often mercenaries for the Byzantine Empire, and thus in the Mediterranean. Parts of Italy, Sicily, and other parts in the Mediterranean were, at one time, referred to as Norman - nothing more than men from the North.

Your views are correct.

Answer 4

In Christianity as well as other religions, you have your mainstreamers who do what is expected and live their lives in quite solitude according to the dictates of their respective religion. On the flip side of that, though, you have the scary religious fanatic whose only goal is to incite people to malice toward one another by perverting the tenets of their religion, whatever it may be. No one knows who is going to burn in hell except God and he certainly doesn't need anyone pointing fingers at likely or unlikely candidates form some human who has probably not confronted their own sins and faced them down.

Answer 5

You know, i tend to agree with most of the people in here, being Christian myself i can honestly say that one of the principle foundations of the religion is tolerance.

So in my opinion people that go around saying you don't beleive in this or that, your going to hell - are just wannabe tele-evangelists or something or are probably bound to be resigned to the religious scrap heap within a few years.

Ignore them, the christian religion (like all religions worldwide) is something that is sacred to an individual, and understanding. I mean is it not correct that all religious deities (gods) are the same one god but just under different guises and names?

Buddha, Krishna, Guru' Nanak, Mohammed or just plain and simple 'god' (or in some cases Jedi Knights according to the 2004 UK census!!!!)

I'm reminded of an excellent saying - 'ours is not to question why...'

Although I have absolutely no idea who said it, at the end of the day you beleive what you beleive.

Answer 6

I'm a Christian and I prefer to tell people about the love God feels for them and the forgiveness they can recieve from Him rather than the hell, fire and brimstone attitude. To each their own. Everyone has a different way of expressing themselves but I do think it's bad to try to force beliefs onto others.

Answer 7

The central belief in Christianity is not, as many people claim, "Love and tolerance for any and all belief-systems," but rather, "obey the will of the Father" (Matthew 7:21).

Is it Christian to tell people that they are in danger? You tell me: if you swallowed some poison, sincerely believing that it was medicine, would you want to be warned of the danger, or would you want me to "tolerate your differing choice" and "allow you to make your own path"?

Answer 8

No it is not Christian. Spirituality is one person communing with God while religion is other people telling you what God wants.
Here is example from my book "The Plain Truth About God-101" (What the church doesn't want you to know!)
** In other words, our connection to God is an intensely personal relationship that should never be interfered with by another human being telling us what God wants or means.
Or;
** God inspired the bible, he didn't write it. People base their lives around the manic scribbling of a bunch of desert baked primitives who ate bugs and honey! Of course they saw God! -Anonymous
Or;
** The bible states clearly that nobody can earn his salvation through morality and good deeds (Gnosticism) since we are all sinful by nature.
We have the perfect catch 22 situation were only in the blind acceptance of Christ atoning for our deeds can we be saved.
In other words, we are in a no-win situation against the so-called
logic of the shaman; if we do not take his word for it then all is lost!
Or;
** I am approached with the most opposite opinions and advice,
and by men who are equally certain that they represent the Divine will. I am sure that either the one or the other is mistaken in the belief, and perhaps in some respects, both.
I hope it will not be irreverent of me to say that if it is probable that God would reveal his will to others on a point so connected with my duty, it might be supposed he would reveal it directly to me. --Abraham Lincoln
Or;
** It is the very disagreement over "what the purpose of it all is" that has given us so much strife over the millennia.
Everyone thinks that they have a franchise on the truth, and the
moment you start thinking like that, your belief system becomes
self-defeating. (Negative influence)
If there really is a Devil, (Which I doubt!) what better way for him to corrupt humanity than to turn our religious feelings over to the control of fanatics.
It is they who undermine the original purpose of religion, from
“communing with God,” to a tool for furthering human avarice and greed. -Allan W. Janssen

Allan W Janssen is the author of The Plain Truth About God-101 (what the church doesn't want you to know!) at; www.God-101.com
And the petition to have people mind their own business instead of yours at; http://www.petitiononline.com/moses/petition.html

Answer 9

You dont realize that when a Christian is telling someone who is living with out Jesus in their lives, a quote from the bible that states that they will be going to hell, it is not that Christian that is telling them that, but God Himself. Don't shoot the messanger.

Chrisitans are doing what God is telling them to do. And that is sharing the word of God with others. The bible is all of God's word. It is our instruction booklet of life. IF everyone actually did all the things that God wantes us to do in life, we would not have to problems that we have today, and we as humans would not give satan all the power that he has over this earth.

To sin is a concious choice, especailly when you know what you do goes against what God tells you to do. I as a Christian, who obeys God by sharing is word am not condmening anyone when I
post a scripture. But those who knowingly comit the sins that goes against God's and His rules, condemn themselves to hell..

Proverbs 12:2 A good man obtaineth favour of the LORD: but a man of wicked devices will he condemn

Those who follow and obey God are rightous in the eyes of God. Those who do not follow and obey God, follow evil and satan and for that, they condemn themselves.

Revelations 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Answer 10

The thing most religions fear is that their followers become open minded and try to look at both sides of issues and then make intelligent decisions based on facts. This would be the death of most religions. It is necessary that their followers have tunnel vision and follow the program blindly. The whole reward system of heaven and punishment system of hell were made up to keeep people in line. So the ones that preach and try to impose their beliefs on others are really just the pilliars holding up these religions.